SG Americas Securities LLC Has $1.27 Million Position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX)

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) by 44.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,229 shares of the credit services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,602 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Equifax were worth $1,274,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of Equifax by 1,920.0% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 101 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Equifax in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its holdings in shares of Equifax by 505.0% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 121 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in Equifax during the first quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in Equifax during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors own 96.20% of the company’s stock.

Equifax Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE EFX opened at $267.27 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The company has a market cap of $33.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.33, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.63. Equifax Inc. has a 1 year low of $199.98 and a 1 year high of $309.63. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $256.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $253.36.

Equifax (NYSE:EFX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The credit services provider reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.08. Equifax had a net margin of 10.63% and a return on equity of 19.13%. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Equifax Inc. will post 7.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Equifax Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 23rd. This is an increase from Equifax’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. Equifax’s payout ratio is currently 40.90%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John W. Gamble, Jr. sold 2,000 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.10, for a total transaction of $518,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 65,176 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,887,101.60. This trade represents a 2.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Mark W. Begor sold 22,160 shares of Equifax stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.61, for a total transaction of $5,686,477.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 142,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,539,980.95. The trade was a 13.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $260.00 price target (down previously from $325.00) on shares of Equifax in a report on Friday, April 4th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of Equifax in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Equifax from $277.00 to $296.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $305.00 target price (up from $295.00) on shares of Equifax in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Equifax from $288.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $293.75.

Equifax Company Profile

Equifax Inc operates as a data, analytics, and technology company. The company operates through three segments: Workforce Solutions, U.S. Information Solutions (USIS), and International. The Workforce Solutions segment offers services that enables customers to verify income, employment, educational history, criminal justice data, healthcare professional licensure, and sanctions of people in the United States; and employer customers with services that assist them in complying with and automating payroll-related and human resource management processes throughout the entire cycle of the employment relationship.